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Archive for July 16th 2018

DES MOINES, Iowa — Representatives from One Iowa, Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, Progress Iowa, and many other supporters came together to rally in front of the Federal Building on Sunday.

In a variety of speeches, they expressed their opposition to President Trump’s nominee for the vacant Supreme Court seat.

“I worry that if Brett Kavanaugh is elected to SCOTUS that he could overturn Roe v. Wade and take away the right to an abortion if I would ever need one. I’m worried that he would vote against any sort of protections for my LGBTQ friends, for my friends of color, for all of the people I care about, and all the people who need that protection from SCOTUS,” Planned Parenthood supporter Hayley Nemmer said.

Planned Parenthood supporter Amanda Acton said she is worried the country will move backwards.

“I believe that unless we fight to protect Roe by ensuring that whoever gets seated is going to look at case law and case history and understand that it is a safe, legal, and medical procedure and keep it legal, we are going to go back. We’re going to go back to the time of back-alley abortions and back to a time, had I not had that choice my daughter would have died in agony. And I can’t believe anybody would want that for a child,” Acton said.

Speakers at the rally called on Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst to vote against the nomination, even though both have spoken highly of Kavanaugh.

Sen. Ernst said in a statement, “Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a highly-qualified, well-respected justice committed to the rule of law. He deserves a respectful and timely confirmation.”

Sen. Grassley, as Chairman of the Judiciary, also voiced his support of the nominee.

“Judge Kavanaugh has a very distinguished record of public service, serving in the Executive Branch and as a judge on the D.C. Circuit. He is one of the most influential judges in the country. Twelve of his opinions have been adopted by the Supreme Court.”

The pro-life group The Family Leader stated in a post on their website about Kavanaugh that Sarah Pitlyk, a lawyer and former clerk to Kavanaugh, said, “On the vital issues of protecting religious liberty and enforcing restrictions on abortion, no court-of-appeals judge in the nation has a stronger, more consistent record than Judge Brett Kavanaugh.”

The U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Friday that he expects confirmation hearings for Kavanaugh to begin in late August or early September.

ROSEMONT, Minn. — Two women are dead after an 800-pound boulder fell out of a dump truck along a Minnesota road Monday, WCCO reports.

Joe Czeck, 33, has been arrested and police say he did not stop at the scene of the accident.

Karen Christiansen, 67, and her daughter Jena Christiansen, 32, were traveling behind the truck when it went over a railroad crossing and the huge boulder came off, tumbled and struck the family’s car.

The women died at the scene.

Authorities said the boulder was so heavy it took four firefighters to move it.

Investigators were able to determine the truck belonged to Czeck Services, which led them to the driver.

Czeck is being held at the Dakota County Jail. Charges are still pending.